3 - Caspary March l8,l880 
Unf ortunately GÜmert is a serious irripediraent in the descriptiorr of 
the Problem, because he does not publish' ij, a coraprfehensive disserta- 
tion^about^ ,which He has in hands since December 
now and probably will never publish it. He put many nambers into 
the World without^a descriptiom The raaterial for this work is based 
in Danzig 
priraarly in the collect ion of the teacher Menge,/^who now is dead' ;■ 
What will become of this collection I do not know, but, without 
doubt, it will not ever become available to me,, because since the 
Separation of ' the Province Prussia into East- and West-Prussia, the 
people of Danzigc have turned quite fanatically a^ainst East Prussia 
and specifically Königsberg, though they do not possess the strengts 
and ways, except money, to put themselves in a scientific way on- 
their om feet.with the only result, that their works reraain lyinpc 
on the side and can not be used, because they are not able to come 
up with certaintiesw I organized 19 years ago a florishing botanical* 
society-^in the Province Prussia. Four members frora Danzig resigned 
2 years back and f ounded^ a west-prussian- Northern-zoological Society^, 
which can not accomplish anything^, but whichi exists' thanks to the mo- 
ney authorized by the west-prussian diet , , and acts in a bloTAm-up' 
manner.. Bail in Danzigv professor on a real-schooll (hon-classical,, 
secondary school, E.D. ) is the group leader 
causes me to lose much time. It is well knoim, that one knew only; 
very iraprecise facts about plant distribution feven in Germany^also 
in Prussia, and the prussian species society,' now 32k members 
streng, is forced to explore district by district through emissa- 
ries. 2 districts have been examined^ carefully. I made the seedi - 
examinations,. Now I want to publish the results,. That takes very/ 
much time.. 2 assistants workedl recebtljr^ together ? hours on the 
